Romania: Kaufland targets 250 hypermarkets in Romania and Moldova by 2030Kaufland Romania reported a turnover of €3.97 billion in the period between March 2024 to February 2025, driven by its focus on fresh products, variety, and affordable prices. The German retailer's contribution to the Romanian economy amounted to €2.8 billion, representing approximately 0.8% of the national GDP, according to the company's socio-economic impact study for the 2024 financial year, conducted in association with KPMG.
Kaufland Romania operates 192 stores, two logistics centres, and two administrative headquarters, and it is aiming to expand its presence to 250 hypermarkets in Romania and the Republic of Moldova by 2030.
Source: ESM Magazine
France: German chain Lidl ordered to pay $50 million to French rival over deceptive adsA French appeals court has ordered German discount supermarket chain Lidl to pay €43 million ($50 million) to rival French retailer Intermarche after ruling that hundreds of television advertisements constituted deceptive marketing practices. The Paris appeals court delivered its decision July 4, finding that more than 370 television spots aired by Lidl between 2017 and 2023 were likely to mislead consumers and violated fair competition standards. The ruling overturned a 2022 lower court decision that had initially favored Lidl.
At the center of the dispute was Lidl's failure to ensure advertised products were available at the promoted prices across all of its French stores for the required 15-week period. The appeals court determined that while Lidl prominently displayed products and prices in its advertisements, the company relegated crucial information about participating stores to small print or brief voice-over mentions directing consumers to check its website. The court found these disclosures were "likely to go unnoticed by the consumer or at the very least be misunderstood," creating a misleading impression about product availability.
Source: Retail Detail
Poland: Pepco posts higher Q3 revenue, launches buyback of up to 50 mln eurosDiscount retailer Pepco Group posted a record-high third-quarter revenue and announced a share buyback programme of up to 50 million euros ($58.68 million) on Thursday, as it reported its first results after the sale of Poundland.
The Warsaw-listed company said its revenue rose 7.7% year-on-year at constant currency to 1.1 billion euros in the third quarter that ended on June 30, with like-for-like sales growing 2.6% driven by growth in both the Pepco and Dealz brands.
Source: Reuters
UK: Lidl is latest supermarket to trial AI cameras, nicknamed 'VAR' by public Anti-theft measures have been rolled out in two London locations In a bid to deter shoplifters, Lidl is in the early stages of trialling artificial intelligence-powered cameras at self-service checkouts. This initiative makes it the latest supermarket to deploy anti-theft technology that has been nicknamed "supermarket VAR".
The discount retailer is exploring the use of AI surveillance systems in two London locations, though the company has not announced plans for wider implementation. The move follows Tesco's introduction of similar technology in May, which faced mockery on social media due to comparisons with Video Assistant Referee systems used in football.
Source: GB News
Greece: Greek supermarket inflation up 1.78% in June
Supermarket inflation in Greece saw an increase of 1.78% in June compared to the same period last year, according to the Institute of Retail Consumer Goods Research (IELKA). Prices in June 2025 were down 0.35% compared with May 2025, data showed. Overall, for the rolling 12-month period between July 2024 and June 2025, supermarket prices remained stable at 0.25%.
IELKA noted that mild inflationary pressures (1.13%) were seen in the first half of 2025, driven by an international increase in the prices of raw materials such as cocoa, meat, and coffee. Detergents and cleaning supplies saw the biggest price reduction (-8.28%) in June, followed by grocery foods (-5.40%), and stationery, cosmetics and personal hygiene supplies (-3.13%).
Source: ESM Magazine
Saudi Arabia: Lulu launches new hypermarket in JeddahLulu Retail has opened a new hypermarket in Jeddah's Al-Baghdadiyah Al-Gharbiyah district. Located along the Al Andalus Road, the new outlet offers a comprehensive and modern shopping experience that combines convenience, variety, and innovative retail design. The store was officially inaugurated by Eng. Nasar Salem Almoteb, Deputy Mayor of Jeddah Municipality in the presence of Ihsan Bafakih, Executive vice chairman of Al Nahla group, Nasser Huwaiden Thaiban Ali Alketbi, Consul General of UAE in Jeddah, Fahad Ahmed Khan Suri, Consul General of India in Jeddah, and Yusuffali M.A, Chairman of LuLu Group, along with other dignitaries.
Yusuffali said: "We are proud to further strengthen our footprint in Jeddah with the launch of this hypermarket in Al-Baghdadiyah Al-Gharbiyah. This expansion reflects our unwavering commitment to the Kingdom by creating jobs, enhancing retail infrastructure, and offering world-class shopping experiences to the community. We remain dedicated to being a catalyst in Saudi Arabia's dynamic retail transformation."
Source: Saudi Gazette
Save A Lot opens new-format store designed for Hispanic shoppersSave A Lot y Mas is the next iteration in a continuing collaboration between Save A Lot and Leevers Supermarkets to better serve the Hispanic community. Continuing its strategic collaboration with Leevers Supermarkets, discount grocer Save A Lot is launching a new store format called Save A Lot y Mas. Located at 9430 Midland Boulevard, in Overland, Mo., just outside of St. Louis, the store features an expanded selection of fresh Hispanic produce, specialty meats and bakery items designed to deliver both cultural relevance and everyday value.
The new concept, with two additional locations in Colorado, will operate as a test-and-learn format with the potential for further introduction into other Save A Lot locations serving a large Hispanic customer base.
Source: Progressive Grocer
5 ways Instacart is tapping into its army of on-demand workersInstacart has an infantry of approximately 600,000 on-demand workers. Known as "Instacart Shoppers," these workers play a valuable role in the grocery technology company's ongoing growth in retail vendor space, as evidenced by the ongoing release of new earnings opportunities and safety features for them.
In its latest shareholder letter, Instacart said that it began piloting several new initiatives to provide its gig workers with more ways to earn money, including taking videos of store shelves to improve inventory transparency, letting them deliver customer orders from a distributor's warehouse and allowing an Instacart shopper in one store the chance to find out-of-stock items from an order handled by another worker at another store.
Source: Grocery Dive
Target leads U.S. in trademark applications for third-consecutive yearTarget Corp. filed for more trademark applications than any other company in the U.S. last year, submitting 525 trademark applications to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). It marked the third-consecutive year that Target has led the nation in trademark filings, reported The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Target's filings reflected the retailer's ongoing focus on expanding its private-label assortment. The retailer currently has more than 40 private, or "owned," brands that accounted for approximately $30 billion in sales in 2024.
Source: Chain Storeage
Supporting Canadian-made at Walmart Canada's first Growth SummitWalmart Canada plans to ramp up its Made in Canada offerings at stores across the country following its inaugural Growth Summit on July 9 in Toronto, which saw 120 Canadian brands pitch their products to Walmart merchants in the hopes of landing a space on store shelves.
The 120 suppliers from across the country were selected from among 500 businesses that submitted pitches and had 30 minutes to convince Walmart merchants why the banner should stock their product. Among the successful pitches was Laurie Demers of Boulangerie du Petite Pré, a Quebec-based family bakery, that secured a spot in Walmart stores in Quebec for its cakes. Demers was also selected to pitch for a second related business, Confetti Dessert. Another success story was Isabelle Huot, who will see her nutritionally-dense muffin and cookie mixes in Walmart stores across Quebec.
Source: Grocery Business